話

Translingual

Stroke order

Han character

話 (Kangxi radical 149, 言+6, 13 strokes, cangjie input 卜口竹十口 (YRHJR), four-corner 0266₄, composition ⿰訁舌)

Derived characters

• 𫬃

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 1158, character 10
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 35441
• Dae Jaweon: page 1624, character 6
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 6, page 3965, character 6
• Unihan data for U+8A71

Chinese

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 話
Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)
Small seal script

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *ɡroːds) : semantic 言 (“word”) + phonetic 𠯑 (OC *ɡroːd). The right component is not related to 舌 (OC *ɦbljed, “tongue”).

Etymology

Cognate with 曰 (OC *ɢʷad) according to Sagart (1999); if so, it is from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *grwas (“to speak; word”), whence Tibetan གྲོས་སྡུར་བྱེད་པ (gros sdur byed pa, “to consult; to discuss”) (STEDT).

"episode"

Orthographic borrowing from Japanese 話(わ) (wa)

Pronunciation

Definitions

話

1. words; talk; what somebody says (Classifier: 句 m mn)

   他的每一句話／他的每一句话  ―  tā de měi yī jù huà  ―  every single word they said

   話不能說得太滿／话不能说得太满  ―  huà bùnéng shuō de tài mǎn  ―  (please add an English translation of this usage example)

2. story; tale
3. dialect; language

   四川話／四川话  ―  sìchuānhuà  ―  Sichuanese dialect

   越南話／越南话  ―  yuènánhuà  ―  Vietnamese language

4. to talk about; to discuss

   話別／话别  ―  huàbié  ―  to say goodbye

   話家常／话家常  ―  huà jiācháng  ―  to chit-chat; to talk about daily lives

   • 何當共剪西窗燭，卻話巴山夜雨時。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     何当共剪西窗烛，却话巴山夜雨时。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: 9th century, Li Shangyin, 夜雨寄北

     Hédāng gòng jiǎn xī chuāng zhú, què huà Bāshān yèyǔ shí.

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

5. (Cantonese, Gan, Hakka, Northern Min, Wu) to say; to refer to; to talk about

   使乜話俾佢聽呢。 [Cantonese, trad.]
   使乜话俾佢听呢。 [Cantonese, simp.]

   sai² mat¹ waa⁶ bei² keoi⁵ teng¹ ne¹.

   What do you need to tell him/her for.

   話緊佢自己／话紧佢自己 [Cantonese]  ―  waa⁶ gan² keoi⁵ zi⁶ gei²   ―  talking about himself/herself

   你快啲話我知發生咩事。 [Cantonese, trad.]
   你快啲话我知发生咩事。 [Cantonese, simp.]

   nei⁵ faai³ di¹ waa⁶ ngo⁵ zi¹ faat³ sang¹ me¹ si⁶.

   Quickly tell me what happened.

   都話喇！／都话喇！ [Cantonese]  ―  dou¹ waa⁶ laa³!   ―  What did I tell you?

   • 我唔係話你醜樣，只係你核突。 [Cantonese, trad.]
     我唔系话你丑样，只系你核突。 [Cantonese, simp.]

     From: George Lam, Ah Lam 日記

     ngo⁵ m⁴ hai⁶ waa⁶ nei⁵ cau² joeng^6-2, zi² hai⁶ nei⁵ wat⁶ dat⁶.

     I'm not saying that you're ugly, only that you're disgusting.

   • 喂，話咗，唔好再上嚟呀。落番去啦，影乜嘢。 [Cantonese, trad.]
     喂，话咗，唔好再上嚟呀。落番去啦，影乜嘢。 [Cantonese, simp.]

     From:

     wai³, waa⁶ zo², m⁴ hou² zoi³ soeng⁶ lei⁴ aa³. lok⁶ faan¹ heoi³ laa¹, jing² mat¹ je⁵.

     Oi, I already said, don't try to come up here any further. Go back down; what are you filming for?

6. (Cantonese, transitive) to tell (someone something)

   我搵人知咩嚟再話你哋知。 [Cantonese, trad.]
   我揾人知咩嚟再话你哋知。 [Cantonese, simp.]

   ngo⁵ wan² jan⁴ zi¹ me¹ lai⁴ zoi³ waa⁶ nei⁵ dei⁶ zi¹.

   I'll find someone who knows what it is and then report back to you guys.

7. (Cantonese, Hakka, Gan, Wu) to tell someone off; to scold

   唔話佢呢，佢就會繼續做落去。 [Cantonese, trad.]
   唔话佢呢，佢就会继续做落去。 [Cantonese, simp.]

   m⁴ waa⁶ keoi⁵ ne¹, keoi⁵ zau⁶ wui⁵ gai³ zuk⁶ zou⁶ lok⁶ heoi³.

   If you don't tell him off, he will continue to do it.

8. (Cantonese) to think; to feel; to consider; to say

   你話點算好？ [Cantonese, trad.]
   你话点算好？ [Cantonese, simp.]

   nei⁵ waa⁶ dim² syun³ hou²?

   What do you say we should do?

   你話邊個會抵啲呢？ [Cantonese, trad.]
   你话边个会抵啲呢？ [Cantonese, simp.]

   nei⁵ waa⁶ bin¹ go³ wui⁵ dai² di¹ ne¹?

   Which one do you say is the thriftier choice?

9. (Cantonese) Sentence-final particle used to ask someone to repeat previous information.

   頭先你叫我做咩㗎話？ [Cantonese, trad.]
   头先你叫我做咩㗎话？ [Cantonese, simp.]

   tau⁴ sin¹ nei⁵ giu³ ngo⁵ zou⁶ me¹ gaa³ waa^6-2?

   What did you want me to do just now?

   幾多錢話？／几多钱话？ [Cantonese]  ―  gei² do¹ cin⁴ waa^6-2?   ―  How much did you say it was?

10. (Cantonese) quotative: that

    未試過話唔塞嘅 [Cantonese, trad.]
    未试过话唔塞嘅 [Cantonese, simp.]

    mei⁶ si³ gwo³ waa⁶ m⁴ sak¹ ge³

    in my experience it's never not been in a jam

    噉就唔使話熱得滯。 [Cantonese, trad.]
    噉就唔使话热得滞。 [Cantonese, simp.]

    gam² zau⁶ m⁴ sai² waa⁶ jit⁶ dak¹ zai⁶.

    This can avoid it being too hot.

11. (ACG) episode

Synonyms

• (speech):

• (to say):

• (dialect, language):

See also

• 指 (zhǐ)
• (to tell someone off): 鬧／闹 (naau6, “to scold”)
• 的話／的话 (dehuà)

Compounds